My Message to the GIS Graduating Class of 2022

The President of the Alumni Association, the Executive Committee, The Principal, Vice Principals, Teachers and Staff of Ghana International School, and of course, our graduating class of 2022, I say to you a very goodmorning. When I was asked to come and be the keynote speaker for this event, I could hardly believe that the time had come where I would now be standing on this end of the stage and speaking to a new cohort of graduands. 17 years ago, I sat where you are sitting today, proud of how far we had come – the all-nighters, the hunt for past questions, surviving the mocks and finally getting to this point where you can lift your head up and say ‘I made it’. Graduating class of 2022, you have made it, and for that you must give yourselves a hand!

In thinking about what I could say to you today, I realized that no one can prepare you for what is in store on your journey; however, I can assure you that along that path are opportunities – opportunities to learn, grow and take lessons from each moment. You will make mistakes along the way, but that’s just a normal part of life: what matters is how you turn those mistakes into a potential stepping stone for your next achievement. I remember taking a Classics course in my first semester of college. I chose it because I thought it would be fun to learn about the Romans and their chariot races and the like. However, a very unusual thing happened during that class. I sat in front and I found myself occasionally dozing in class. For context, if you were to have asked any of my GIS classmates who was most likely to do this in class, I doubt my name would ever have come up. I prided myself in being a diligent, hardworking student. So you can imagine how this development came as a shock even to me. I sat before my first test and as other students were answering away, I realized I was completely lost. I got up with the test paper and went to the professor’s office admitting that I couldn’t complete the test. She looked at me, acknowledged that I was going to get the appropriate poor grade for an incomplete assignment but also reassured me that I had the rest of the semester to make it up. This was, literally, my ‘wake up’ call and I realized I couldn’t go about things the same way. I put in the work, learnt to manage my time and managed to turn the C I had started with into an A for that course.?

You will have moments like this on your journey. The choice will be up to you to choose what course or direction you will take. It is important to note here the impact the professor’s words also had on me. Along your journey will be the people I would call ‘positive enablers’. Learn to identify them and keep them close. They will motivate you when you are at your wit’s end and, for all intents and purposes, are the keys to your success. If there is one important lesson I have learnt on my journey, it is the importance of staying connected. Some of my closest friends today are the ones I made here at GIS. Before there was Facebook, there was Hi 5. How many of you know what that is? The fact of the matter is, today, with all the social platforms available, being on one side of the globe is no excuse to be disconnected from events and people on another. You don’t need to subscribe to every channel or platform but the bottom-line is to find a way to stay in the loop. Take a look at the person to the left and right of you. Among you are bankers, lawyers, CEOs, doctors. Trust me, when you are a full blown adult saddled with all the responsibilities of life, you’ll be glad to have friends in some of these fields. Stay connected.?

And do the same in every place you go. I remember my first internship at Revolution Health Group in the summer of 2007. I was actually given a plant to name, take care of and see whether I could keep alive during that summer. In many ways, that plant was a metaphor for the relationships I established during my time there. I am so fortunate to have, till this day, maintained my relationship with my direct boss there, Amanda, as most of who I am, as a professional, was shaped by her. With every internship, every job you end up in, if there is one thing to take out of them, its relationships. Maintain your connections, deepen them, don’t let them fall by the wayside.

This brings me back to the network that is your soon to be alma mater – GIS. Remember all the little things from your experience here and let that draw you back. Whether you like it or not, this has been your second home for a number of years now and you are fundamentally connected to it. I remember when all of this area to the left side of us used to be one big mass of red sand. Hockey was played there on some days after school and this was the terrain we needed to cross to and from assembly and generally in getting from one place to the other. Most of you will not understand the struggle of trying to gingerly walk on the red sand with your fresh new shoes that you have saved up to buy. Now, I am impressed by what I see on my left and know that some of these efforts come about due to contributions from the alumni association, an association you have the privilege of joining today. What will be your legacy? What new heights will you take GIS to? It is important to stay connected.

I never thought that 12 years on, I would be needing the assistance of the school for a new venture I was embarking on. GIS really came through for me when I needed a space to have rehearsals for my musical theatre productions. The support of Mrs. Tackie and Mr. Agbettoh has gone a long way in bringing my dream project to life. And Mrs. Vanderpuye, always cheering us on from the sidelines, has been a great support in suggesting students just like you for my productions which is also great for your CVs. I owe a debt of gratitude to GIS and, perhaps, my being here today is yet another ‘wake up’ call, to remind me that there is more I could be doing to give back, to pay it forward.

So as I close my remarks, I would invite you to reflect on your GIS journey: the good and the not so great and think about those to the right and left of you who have also been with you throughout this time. The GIS experience would not have been the same without them, and you are invariably linked together. Value the relationships of your past and value the ones of tomorrow. It makes the journey all the more exciting. So stay connected and enjoy the ride! Thank you.?